


A Cat with Class

by CommanderSeaSinger



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Cat Puns, Chat Appreciation Society, F/M, Marichat May, getting started early, so many cat puns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-04-28 01:58:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14439030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommanderSeaSinger/pseuds/CommanderSeaSinger
Summary: Ladybug sits behind Adrien in class. He isn't sure how to handle this, but Chat Noir has a few ideas. Suddenly, Marinette finds herself in pawsession of a kitty classmate.





	1. Chapter 1

The Lucky Charm was a key.

The Lucky Charm was a  _key_ and Ladybug was surrounded by doors. She raced down the hallway, hoping for a little more luck than usual. Her earrings beeped. Okay, so Ladybug needed a  _lot_ more luck than usual. The akuma was just seconds away from this hallway. Ladybug chose a door at random. It was locked, of course. Ladybug smoothly unlocked the door and darted inside. She heard the door click shut behind her just as her transformation dropped. She sagged with relief and...

"Marinette?"

Shock hit her system like a bucket of cold water. Of  _course_ that annoying cat had followed her into the room! She turned around slowly. Chat Noir was beaming and bouncing from foot to foot.

"I didn't mean to see, I purromise! But you're Marinette! Ladybug is Marinette! I didn't think Ladybug would be anyone that I actually know! This is going to be so great!"

"Chat. Noir." She tried to glower at him, but he was just so happy. It didn't help that Tikki was giggling on Marinette's shoulder. Marinette sighed and surrendered to his enthusiasm. Chat Noir was examining her closely and babbling a hundred words a minute. Marinette caught "hanging out" and "everyday" from the stream of words.

"Chat! What do you mean we can hang out every day now?"

Chat grinned. "I mean, we'll see each other every day because I'm..."

Marinette let out a shriek and slapped her hand over Chat Noir's mouth. "Don't tell me who you are! Please," she amended.

" _Mphmm?_ "

"It's just...a lot. For one day. And I still don't think it's very safe for us." Marinette refused to look at Tikki. "Just...for a bit. Please?"

Chat Noir reluctantly nodded. Marinette paused before removing her hand. "You are going to do something grand and reckless, aren't you?" She groaned as he visibly deflated. "No hints or anything obvious from you or your other identity, okay?"

Chat Noir removed her hand. "I'll give you all the time you need, I swear." He raised Marinette's hand and kissed it. "...Princess." Marinette knew she should just laugh it off like she normally did, but she had been unprepared for the open admiration on Chat Noir's face. Sure, he admired Ladybug and he kissed Ladybug's hand whenever he could get away with it but she was  _Marinette_ and he had kissed  _her_ hand and he was still HOLDING HER HAND and she needed maybe a month or two to figure out why, exactly, this was causing her face to burn like a tourist in August...

Marinette looked around the room in a desperate attempt to avoid looking at Chat's face right then. Her eyes lit up as she took in the contents of the room. "I know how to stop this akuma."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me, for I have punned.
> 
> Also, I kept this chapter short to motivate myself to finish editing the rest of the story. The next chapter will be longer, I promise.


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien was going to die, and Marinette was going to be the one to kill him.  _I know how to stop this akuma._ Up until that point he'd been so excited to know that Ladybug was his friend, Marinette, that he'd forgotten something very important.

He was in love with Ladybug.

 _I know how to stop this akuma._ Adrien had been trying to fit Marinette into Ladybug's mask. He was looking for ways to see how Marinette's sweet and awkward nature matched with Ladybug's passionate and confident one. Adrien was excited to find out more about the Marinette side of Ladybug. He had not thought what it would be like to find out more about the Ladybug side of Marinette.

 _I know how to stop this akuma._ Marinette had been determined and excited. She told Chat Noir what she needed him to do, and he did it on auto-pilot. Those words and that look had made one thing very clear.

He was in love with  _Marinette_.

"That's the way it works, kid. They're the same person. Why are you acting so surprised?" Plagg was floating next to Adrien's bed. Adrien groaned.

"Plagg, I saw how amazing Ladybug was the first time I saw her! Why didn't I see how wonderful Marinette was?"

"You can't even see how wonderful Camembert is. Your sense of wonder is broken." Plagg popped a piece of cheese in his mouth. "Besides, you must know how great she is. You're always talking about her."

"I am not...am I?"

Plagg snickered. " _Marinette made this hat,_ " Plagg said, mimicking Adrien's voice. " _Marinette designed this album cover. Marinette shared some cookies with me. Marinette beat my high score. Marinette is a good dancer. Marinette thought I was_ cool."

"Okay! I get it." Adrien wondered if he could die from blushing too hard. Marinette  _had_ said Chat Noir was cool. "I've always admired Marinette, but just as a friend. I never saw her the same way I saw Ladybug."

"Until today!" Plagg pointed out gleefully.

Adrien threw a pillow at Plagg. Plagg phased through it and let it sail harmlessly across the room.

"Class this afternoon was a disaster," Adrien said.

"Which part? The part where you wanted to look at Marinette, but couldn't? Or the part where you wanted to talk to Marinette, but couldn't? Or maybe the part where you wanted to hold her hand, but cou..."

"Plagg! I won't be able to keep my promise."

"Your promise to Ladybug?"

"My promise to Marinette."

"I've already told ya, kid, same difference."

But it wasn't. Ladybug was elusive and glorious. She blazed in and out of his life like a comet. Marinette, on the other hand, sat behind him in class. All the time! It had taken every ounce of restraint he had to sit through a mere afternoon of classes without turning around and just confessing everything to her.

"It's only Monday," Adrien grumbled. "What if she's not ready to meet me for the rest of the week?"

"Or a month," Plagg helpfully suggested.

 _Or ever,_ Adrien thought. He groaned again.

"I guess you could just skip school until then," Plagg said, continuing to be unhelpful. "If you don't see her, it can't be a problem, right?" Adrien thought of his long afternoon and remembered how he'd had to just sit there and listen to Ladybug sigh quietly at regular intervals. How was he supposed to cope tomorrow?

"Wait...what if..I did skip school?"

"Huh, really? More naps for me!"

"Oh, no,  _you_ have important things to learn tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was wrong-this chapter was also short. But y'all are so awesome that I just had to get it done!


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette paced in front of her board in her room. Two neat lists pinned to the board were titled with a smiley face and a frowny face.

"Marinette, I don't think this is helping." Tikki yawned. "You need sleep."

"What if Chat Noir is a really gross person that I can't stand?"

Tikki looked at the frowny list. "That's already up here."

Marinette kept pacing. "I mean, what if Chat Noir is _Chloe_?"

"That is...unlikely. It's also on the board already. Marinette, you're just worrying yourself in circles!"

Marinette froze. "What if Chat Noir shows up in my class and confesses his love for me?"

Tikki giggled. "Which list would that go on?"

"...and then Adrien would think that I'm dating someone else and he'll never love me and I'll end up old and alone and married to _Chloe_!"

"I really don't think Chloe is Chat Noir." Tikki flew right in front of Marinette's face. "Marinette. Please try to get some sleep."

Marinette's eyes narrowed as she focused on Tikki. "Why are you being so calm? You are the one who always said that we couldn't share our identities."

"I can't change what's already happened. Besides, I'm sure Chat Noir is responsible enough to keep your secret safe. I think you should trust him that much."

Marinette slumped. "I do trust him, Tikki, I just..." She collapsed on her chaise lounge. "I'm the one that messed this up. I'm the reason he knows my secret. What if I mess up again tomorrow? Chat thinks I'm something wonderful and now he's going to know that..." Marinette stopped, choking on the realization of just how much Chat's respect meant to her.

"Oh, Marinette. Everyone makes mistakes."

Marinette shrank into herself just a bit more. Her voice was quiet. "You aren't mad at me?"

"Of course not." Tikki flew over to nuzzle against Marinette's cheek. Marinette relaxed for the first time in hours. "But I am sleepy," Tikki added.

"Well, I guess I could try to sleep," Marinette said, giving Tikki a quick snuggle. "Thank you, Tikki. You're the best ancient god I know." They giggled as Marinette headed to bed for some much-needed sleep.

* * *

 

Marinette was running late for school. This was normal for her and not because, say, she was up half the night envisioning the worst-case scenarios for the day. It definitely wasn't because she was up the other half of the night imagining the best-case scenarios. Marinette flushed--from running!--as she paused just inside the school doors to catch her breath. She was just going to walk into class, calm and cool and collected.

The warning bell buzzed and Marinette abandoned her dream of walking or being even the slightest bit cool. She raced up the stairs and through her classroom door just as the tardy bell rang. Her relieved smile died as she realized that everyone was staring at her.

"What...?" Marinette wondered if she'd grabbed the jacket with the stain after all, but then her eyes slid from Alya's wide-eyed stare to... "Chat Noir?!"

He beamed at her. From her own seat. "This wasn't on either list," Marinette said, faintly.

"If you could take a seat," Ms. Bustier said in a strained voice, "so that we can start class?"

So they were just going to roll with a masked superhero visitor for the day. Huh. Maybe she should just show up places as Ladybug and see if she could stay. Their masks could be some sort of all-access pass...

Ms. Bustier cut in. "Marinette."

Marinette squeaked and slowly walked to her seat. Chat Noir slid off the bench to let her in, then sat down again, crowding her side. Marinette tried to ignore the blatant stares of her classmates and the even more blatant pleased look on Chat Noir's face. She could feel Alya burning with curiousity next to her. It almost made the cool leather of Chat's suit a relief. Marinette risked a glance at her partner. He grinned at her.

"Really?" Marinette whispered.

"This isn't against the rules," Chat whispered back, clearly pleased with himself.

Marinette spluttered.

Chat Noir was going to die, and Marinette was going to be the one to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone tell my job that I'd rather be writing fanfic.
> 
> Next up: cuteness and cat puns!


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette was trying so very hard to focus on taking notes. Yes, she was taking marvelous notes. They were color-coded, even. She was being a great student, making sure that she absorbed every word that Ms. Bustier uttered. It was just a normal day at school...

Alya casually pushed a note to Marinette. Marinette sighed as the illusion of normalcy dissolved.

_What is going on?_

_I don't know_ , Marinette wrote back.

_Why is Chat Noir here?_

_I really don't know._

The note was back instantly.

_Ask Chat Noir!!_

Marinette looked at Alya. Alya was vibrating with curiosity. _Ask him_ , she mouthed. Marinette huffed and wrote out a quick note for Chat.

_Alya wants to know why you're here._

She shoved it into Chat's view. He stopped his own doodling to reply. He pushed the note back with a smirk. Marinette paused before reading the note. It didn't seem like a good idea to have Alya read whatever response Chat gave, but there was no way to avoid it.

_I just couldn't wait for our paths to_ croissant _again_

Alya rolled her eyes at Chat Noir and made a move to grab the note, but Marinette put her arm over it. She scribbled out a quick reply and slid the note back to Chat.

_Isn't it bad luck when a black cat crosses your path?_

Chat evaluated Marinette briefly before he wrote back.

Fur- _tunately, you have enough good luck for us both._

Marinette crumpled the note as soon as the words registered. She glared at Chat Noir and he had the audacity to wink at her. Alya snorted and Marinette felt the heat creep up her cheeks.

_Alya thinks you're flirting with me!_

A new note. Chat read it and seemed unrepentant.

Purr- _haps I am_

Oh. Well. Marinette's face ignited. She desperately wished for the anonymity of Ladybug's mask. But that wouldn't work with Chat Noir anymore, would it? She groaned. Everything was going to change between the two of them. Marinette couldn't even handle Chat's _puns_ now. Ladybug was going to fall apart during an akuma attack. Paris was going to lose faith in her. They'd probably hand her over to Hawkmoth themselves! They deserved the confident and composed Ladybug, not...

Chat Noir pushed the note back to Marinette.

He'd drawn a little black cat.

_Self-_ paw _trait_

Marinette looked from the note to Chat. He was just so...so delighted. And hopeful. Marinette's panic ebbed away. She giggled. For some reason, that sound caused Chat to blush, wide-eyed. And for some reason, seeing him so flustered drove the rest of Marinette's panicked thoughts away. Chat Noir was Ladybug's partner.

He could become Marinette's friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I don't think that's what Chat Noir wants. *author shrugs without sympathy*
> 
> You all deserve a long chapter, I know! But, umm...at least there's puns?


	5. Chapter 5

Alya had spent the morning thinking about how cute Adrien was. Marinette rarely elaborated on why she liked Adrien so much. She was more likely to squeak than offer any information when asked about her crush. However, Alya could only assume that Adrien's looks were an important component to Marinette's feelings. It wasn't like Alya couldn't understand the appeal. Adrien had that artfully tousled blond hair, those pretty green eyes, and the proportions of a work of art. Combined with his sweet, earnest attitude, Alya could admit that Adrien was cute. And that was the problem. On a cuteness scale, Adrien was right up there with a basket of puppies.

Chat Noir was not cute. His hair was unartfully tousled, his green eyes were startling and sharp, and his proportions were, umm, _displayed_ like a piece of art. Alya coughed softly, thinking of some of the comments on the Ladyblog. It was the leather costume. And the butt inside the leather costume. Some of the fanart was a bit...exaggerated. But not _too_ exaggerated, Alya had to admit with a faint blush. _Anyway_ , Alya thought, pulling her steaming thoughts back into line, _the problem is that Chat Noir isn't cute. He's_ hot.

Chat Noir was unfairly hot, and he was sitting next to Marinette. No, Alya needed to be honest. _She_ was sitting _next_ to Marinette. Chat Noir was a centimeter away from sitting _on_ Marinette. Worse, that frustrating kitty was devoting nearly all his attention to Marinette. He was staring at her, oh-so-casually touching her hand, and writing entire books of notes to her. And Marinette was reacting by...doing her classwork. It was baffling. Adrien did pay a certain amount of attention to Marinette. It was, to Alya's frustration, a casual, friendly attention. It might be for the best, of course, considering that even those small interactions could drive Marinette into a catatonic ecstasy. So why wasn't Marinette stressing out about the current situation at all? If an oblivious cute guy could make her a tongue-tied mess, then an attentive hot guy should have her on the verge of a meltdown. Instead, Marinette was steadily completing her math problems and Alya was left feeling stressed on her behalf.

Marinette giggled softly. Alya glanced at her two seatmates. Marinette was writing a quick response to the note that had amused her and Chat Noir was...oh. He was looking at Marinette like she had invented laughter.

Alya bit her lip and looked at the empty seat in front of her. She snuck her phone out.

_Where's your boy?_

Nino jumped when his phone buzzed. _Sick,_ he replied.

Alya sighed. Adrien had seemed kinda flushed and spacey yesterday afternoon. He must've come down with a fever or something. It was bad timing. He needed to be at school to notice Chat Noir noticing Marinette.

Or maybe...Chat Noir would be a better match for Marinette? Alya shook the idea out of her head. How would that even _work_? Alya heated up again as she remembered, again, several commenters on the Ladyblog detailing exactly how a relationship with Chat Noir would work. That entire leather costume needed to be banned, starting with the belt tail that was clearly detachable and featured in many of the more, err, _inventive_ scenarios...

That train of thought rolled right over the dismissal bell.

Chat Noir was immediately out of his seat. He tugged Marinette up after him.

 _Park_ , Marinette mouthed to Alya before letting herself be pulled out of class.

The door closed on the still silence of the classroom.

"Are those two dating or something?" Alix asked the entire room. Nino turned around, hoping Alya had an answer.

"Of course not!" Chloe jumped in. "Who would even want to date a total disaster like her?"

"My brother," Juleka murmured. Rose giggled and Nino brightened up.

"Cool, another member for our club!" Nino shot an enthusiastic thumbs-up to Nathanael, who responded with a long-suffering sigh and a thumbs-up.

"Ugh, this entire class is pathetic," Chloe complained. She stalked out of the room with Sabrina in tow. The other students snapped back into their normal routine with the ease of a group of people who dealt with akuma weirdness on a regular basis. Alya got Nino's attention.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Lunch at the park," Alya said. "And you can tell me more about this club of yours. Or, better yet, tell Chat Noir. I think he's joining it, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There should be a club for Marinette's former and current admirers. =^.^= If it seems like Marinette has accepted this a bit too quickly, don't worry! She's keeping the hot mess internalized. (And I refuse to let it get in the way of Marichat cuteness.)
> 
> Also, season 2 is a GIFT.
> 
> Also also, all of y'all are a gift. :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited it! It now has two extra sentences. :)

Chat Noir spent at least some of his time in class thinking of a plan. He was fully aware that he couldn't keep showing up to class as Chat Noir. Sitting quietly in front of Marinette as Adrien was also not possible, not if he wanted to actually learn anything at school. Which meant it was time to commence Mission: Reveal His Identity. Step 1: Get Marinette out of the classroom before anyone could stop them. Step 2: Get her to a quiet part of the park and convince her to let him reveal his identity. Step 3: ??? Step 4: ...honestly, everything after step 2 was a question mark because he wasn't sure what to say to Marinette. But that was step 2. Step 1 was going really well! The bell hadn't even finished ringing before Chat had pulled Marinette out of the classroom. He was still holding Marinette's hand, even! This was the best plan! He ran down the stairs and grabbed his staff...and slammed to a stop. Marinette skidded into him.

"Chat?"

"Errm..." Chat turned to Marinette, flexing a hand in her direction uncertainly. The fastest way to the park was to carry Marinette there. Where was he going to put his hands? He'd carried her before, right? This shouldn't be any different. He just had to pull her close to him and go. He reached out again and hesitated, blood thumping loudly in his ears and flooding his cheeks.

Marinette sighed and spun Chat around. "Let's go, silly kitty."

He extended his staff in an automatic response to her voice. Marinette gently put her arms around his neck. "Okay?" she asked. Chat managed to nod. Marinette hopped up on Chat's back and wrapped her legs around his waist. Chat leapt into the air, partly out of shock. Marinette was wrapped around him! This is why Ladybug made the plans. Her plans were the best.

Cool wind whipped through his hair as they flew over the school building. Chat felt a huff of warm air on his neck. Oh _kwami,_ Marinette just giggled. His grip faltered. Why was the park so far away? Marinette giggled again. "Whooo!"

Why was the park so close?

Chat Noir touched down in a corner of the park screened by bushes. Marinette hopped down. "Huh, I think I've transformed here before."

"Me, too." Chat rubbed his neck, not sure where to begin.

"This was Plagg's idea, wasn't it." Ladybug's kwami floated up.

"Uh, no," Chat admitted. "He wasn't really happy about it. I owe him a lot of cheese."

"Don't give him any cheese. He's loving this right now."

"Not to interrupt, but what are we telling my friends?" Marinette looked at Chat expectantly.

"What?"

"You have some excuse for being at school with me all morning, right?"

"Uh...no?"

"Chat..."

"Marinette!"

Marinette's eyes widened at Alya's voice. "Over here!" she called back.

A minute and one very efficient panic attack later, Alya and Nino joined Chat and Marinette.

"So, time to dish," Alya said, leaning against the back of a bench. Nino unconcernedly got some food out of his bag. Marinette looked pointedly at Chat Noir, who just shrugged. Marinette muttered something uncomplimentary under her breath, Chat was sure. "What? Is it something embarrassing?" Alya asked. Marinette thought about it for a moment, and blushed. Alya chortled with an unnecessary amount of glee. Chat placed a hand on Marinette's elbow for moral support. It was the absolute least he could do, he supposed. Unfortunately, Alya's gaze zeroed in on the gesture. Marinette saw Alya's look, and then made a face that Chat always thought of as Ladybug's Quick Thinking face.

"There was...an akuma," Marinette said slowly. "It attacked Chat with some kind of, err...love spell."

"And he thinks he's in love with you. Because of an akuma? O-kay."

"It's not because of an akuma!" Chat blurted out. Marinette glared at him.

"I happened to be there when the akuma attacked and *poof*! The akuma disappeared and Ladybug is looking for it." Marinette leaned on the bench next to Alya.

"So you're stuck with him until the akuma is defeated?"

"Maybe? I'm hoping it wears off before then. I thought it would have already worn off, really." The girls were quiet for a moment.

"Dude." Nino freed an ear from his headphones. "You hungry?"

"Of course. Thanks, man." Chat took the offered food. He chewed on it happily and then froze.

A love spell?

Oh. OH.

Now he had a purrfect plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I'll have this finished by Marichat May this year...hahahahaaaaa...


End file.
